Mario Balotelli

AC Milan's striker was subjected to racial taunts Sunday by fans of his former club, Inter Milan, but he kept his composure and held a finger to his mouth to signal for quiet. Inter supporters waved inflated bananas and whistled at Balotelli, who is a native of Ghana. He was facing Inter for the first time since transferring from Manchester City last month. In the game, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Balo- telli had three scoring chances, notably a header in which the goalkeeper made a spectacular save. "Balotelli did very well not to react to the provocations," Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri said. "Let's not forget that he's 22 years old and he was playing against his former squad. It's to be expected that he felt pressure for this match."

Mark Cuban

The Mavericks' owner doesn't expect to hear from the NBA over his suggestion the Lakers could reduce their salary-cap tax by dumping Kobe Bryant through the amnesty clause. Cuban said before Dallas' game against the Lakers on Sunday that he made it clear during a radio interview Friday he was speaking hypothetically, and he was just using an example to explain restrictions in the labor agreement. The Lakers called the remark inappropriate but won't pursue a complaint. "Amnesty THAT," Bryant tweeted after scoring 38 points in a 103-99 victory over the Mavericks. Cuban has cited the labor deal as a reason for not bringing back key members of Dallas' 2011 championship team, most notably Knicks centerTyson Chandler. Cuban said the labor contract is difficult to explain and "it's not like we're getting any help from the league."